Training & Technical Assistance
Shoulder to Shoulder provides culturally-specific training, technical assistance, and support to marginalized victims and survivors, direct service providers, and first responders in West Virginia.
Technical assistance includes program consultations, resources and referrals, and culturally relevant training and education. Victims and survivors from historically marginalized communities deserve equitable and meaningful access to services and support that empowers them and supports their choices to build a life free from violence and the threat of violence.
Available Trainings:
Introduction to Culturally Specific Services
In this training, participants will:
Define and discuss culture to enhance their understanding
Understand how culture influences behavior and attitudes
Apply stereotypes, biases, and discrimination to their work
Understand culturally-specific barriers to help-seeking
Learn about culturally competent services
Improving Response to LGBTQ+ Victims of Stalking
In this training, participants will:
Describe stalking dynamics LGBTQIA+ victims might experience
Identify why stalkers may target LGBTQIA+ victims
Identify specific stalking behaviors LGBTQIA+ victims might experience
Understand barriers to reporting that LGBTQIA+ victims may experience
Learn safety planning strategies to better support LGBTQIA+ stalking victims
Applying a Cultural Perspective to Healthy Relationships with Marginalized Youth
In this training, participants will:
Enhance their understanding and dynamics of a healthy relationship.
Identify cultural factors and barriers to help-seeking that exist in marginalized communities
Learn culturally inclusive strategies to better support marginalized youth experiencing dating violence.
Intersectionality - Addressing the Impact of Oppression and Domestic Violence
In this training, participants will:
Discuss domestic violence dynamics
Enhance their understanding of the root causes of violence
Define and discuss intersectionality
Provide examples of intersectionality as it relates to domestic violence
The Intersection of Racism, Heterosexism, and Mental Health
In this introductory training, participants will:
Identify how racism was used to justify mental health diagnoses
Describe how systemic racism has created racial disparities in mental health
Explain the impact of systemic heterosexism and political targeting on LGBTQ+ mental health
The Link Between Domestic and Sexual Violence, Racism, Sexual Orientation, and Homelessness
In this introductory training, participants will:
Describe how race, sexual orientation, violence, and homelessness impact each other
Identify how structural racism and heterosexism impact housing outcomes
Explain why there can be no solution to violence or homelessness that does not address the role that racism and heterosexism play in access to housing
Oppression as a Root Cause of Violence
In this training, participants will:
Define and discuss relevant terms
Enhance their understanding of oppression as a root cause of violence
Learn examples of how power and control tactics are used to sustain oppression
Recognize the impact of oppression on survivors and providers and support options available for advocates of color and LGBTQ+ advocates
Campus Cultural Competency: Improving Response to Marginalized Victims
In this introductory training, participants will:
Acknowledge the historical trauma and discrimination experienced by marginalized communities.
Discuss how intersectionality of oppression can pose challenges to campus victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Establish culturally inclusive efforts, strategies, and responses to these crimes on a college campus.